So today´s post is a lot of randomness… but I hope you will enjoy my Peruvian loves… above is the posse I have been chillin´with! I never knew that I would make such good friends on a volunteer mission… score!

Visited a much loved Italian restaurant here in Lima… Mama Lola´s! Delicious in-house pizza´s and home made pastas… fresh, tasty and simplistic… hitting all the right spots… they also let you write on the walls, sooooooo… of course I had to represent!!!

Who knows… maybe someone will look it up randomnly from eating here… I will keep you posted! This world works in strange and mysterious ways, I don´t doubt the possibility…

If the walls could speak, this is what they would look like.

Everybody gets to that ¨point¨while on vacation with their significant other where throwing them off the cliff seems like an amicable option… here I demonstrate with the babe :p Hehehehehehehe….

Yes… so that cliff pic was obviously taken before this one…

Incan ruins! They are so meticulously built and beautiful. Positioned towards the sea and the sun… they must have been absolutely gorgeous intact back in the day.

Beautiful alley

How beautiful is this message? Written on the walls of Mama Lola’s Italian Restaurant. Oh romance… {sigh}

Some super cool cactus plants

They look alive don’t they?!?

Our own version of Rum and Coke 😉 Yuuummmmms!

I am SUPER envious that they have Mc Donalds takeout… Montreal!!! Wake up!!! What are you waiting for?!?!

Alright, now I don’t know if this has any association whatsoever to thecoolhunter.net, but if it does (and even if it dosn’t), go directly here now. A site not to be missed *thank you*

Possibly the most beautifully constructed sandwich of our time.

Market finds!

Felted wool purses

Vlad living out his alter ego as Mexican Wrestler “Whacko Paco”

Coolest fruit basket. Ever. Eat it grandma!

I’m off to bed now… catching a flight in a few hours up to Cuzco *Macchu Picchu town* Going to be very tired… but ready for all the shopping and natural beauty of the mountains! This week is all about being a tourist, so get ready for some pic heavy posts full of Peru’s best.

Today we took a tour of Lima, exploring the beaches, wetlands and ancient Incan ruins. Ridin' around town on a double decker bus was awesome for the view and pics but freakin' chilly as hell! Thank God for Babe – human portable heating pad! Time to snuggle up!

Here I am sportin' some of my local market finds… Alpaca style ;). Loving the colourful threads and handmade care.

I have loads more pics to upload and share with you all, just bear with me – internet cafe is slow with the uploading process and not tops on my list for the limited time we have left in Lima… No worries though, everything will be shared all in good time 😉

What I'm Wearing

* Black turtleneck

* H&M scarf

* Black Leggings

* Old white denim skort

* Jacob down vest (has been a complete lifesaver this entire trip)!

* Semi precious stone & silver ring from the market here… Still looking for a worthy pair of earrings to pair it with…

* Alpaca hobo bag and Mary Jane buckled flats

* Leather purple braided bracelet (got this one back home)

Hope everyone had a beautiful weekend! Rest & Relaxation for the new week!

Have one more day of volunteer work tomorrow, then its off to Cuzco… Aka Macchu Piccu!!!

So I am slowly picking up on how I have to dress here in Lima… Layers, layers, layers! It is very humid here and since it is their spring, still quite chilly! The mornings are quite cold, and the days either colder with rain, or sunny with a touch of dampness. I am finding a lot of comfort from "snuggly" clothes. Bundling up in various fabrics, textures and prints… A mishmash of soft 🙂

First off, I want to say a big warm thank you to all who left a positive comment on my last post! I was not expecting to get that strong of a response and I am truly flattered with everything everyone had to say! I would like to thank the anonymous hater for writing that comment… it really showed me who my cyber friends are and that I have an awesome support system right here in my own “backyard”. Love you guys… really, I cannot say it enough. You made my day and made me smile to the point of no return. YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Best followers in the WORLD!!!

So… I have to be brief, as the internet cafe is closing soon and the internet is so slow here it took about an hour to upload all these pics… leaving not much time for chit-chat. Also… Vlad is falling asleep right beside me and constantly reminding me that he wants to go to sleep… can someone please tell me what is so different about having kids or a bf?!? I still end up feeling sometimes like a babysitter ;p

Alright! Finally some Peruvian fashion finds! We stumbled upon a complete bridal mall when we were in downtown Lima… these are some of the super cool, super imaginative dresses on display. How effing cool?!!?

Love the “nipple daisies”

What an awesome theme for a wedding… tacky… yes… but love love love the concept!

Peru has some of the most beautiful architecture I have ever seen. I have never been to Europe aside from London, however I imagine a lot of the style and influence comes from Spain… lots of Baroque styling and pastel colors. The balconey’s here are to die for! All hand carved with handmade glass. Gorgeous!

Chillin’! Vlad and I actually fell asleep here for about an hour the first day in Lima… we were soooo tired and jetlagged! There was a flute player right across the street who played lullaby-like tunes until we dozed off.

Street signs! Love the font!

My own bag, with little peoples on it!!!

I picked up a red pair of these flats… I adore them and they were something like $12.oo USD! Crazy, and handmade in Peru!

Hopefully I will get to see a live llama by the time the trip is over ;p

Syl and Babe

Okay, really… this is not as disgusting as I made it look here. Deserts here are a lot of jello’s, puddings, and flans… really yummy stuff!

Did I mention how much I am ADORING the food here?!?!

Roast beef, rice and potato puree… super yums! Rice and potatoes seem to be a big thing here… I’m all for it!

Uggs… they get me through the day – don’t hate on ’em!

Mini biker taxis

Making friends! Woot Woot!!!

More pictures and adventures to come when the mission part of our journey is done! We will be having more free time soon to play tourists and show you guys a bit more of the beautiful Peru!

“You should consider yourself ridiculously lucky that you even have the option of thinking of going to a spa while you are in a developing world where children do not have the option to even see a doctor. Talk about needs. Your coach booties could probably comfortably feed a family for one month possilby more. My suggestion? Quit complaining and realize that you are not there for yourself but are there for those that need your help. Or else get the fuck out and quit blogging like you care about anything else but a free trip. But don’t worry, I’ll still be reading your trainwreck of a blog. It is ridiculously entertaining.”

Now I don’t usually waste my time on Haters, but this comment seemed amusing enough to address…

First up…I DO consider myself to be EXTREMELY priviledged in this life I lead. I never take it or anything around it for granted. So you all know (as I realize this may not always be clear) everything I have, I have worked for. My clothes, my lifestyle, my freedoms. So please knock off the whole judging me as a spoiled brat princess who gets everything handed to her shit. It’s really getting pretty old. I do what I can for those who are in need to the best of my ability. Same goes for back home, and in life in general. Yes, I am human and I DO bitch. When I am jetlagged, tired, on the rag and feeling sick I am not at my best. Does that take away from my efforts of helping pass 600 people a day and giving them eyesight? Does that make me have to live my life in modesty when I can experience and enjoy things that others can’t? I would think of myself as MORE of a fool if I didn’t take advantage of everything my life has to offer. It would be a life half lived. A life wasted. A life someone else could have lived to the fullest. As for the spa… I’m a girl… tell me… really what do you expect? You obviously have never been… I think you too would change your mind about “allowing yourself” to fantasize about them when you were feeling under the weather if you just tried it out already 😉 I never once mentioned it being my priority… just something I can’t wait to do when I get home. This is a FASHION blog, not a humanitarian organization. I shouldn’t even technically be blogging about any of this as it has no relation whatsoever to the content I keep. I WANT to share this. It is IMPORTANT to me despite what you may think. The hours are long and it is hard work, I never said I wanted out! Before you ASSUME it was a free trip, you should know that I paid to be here. Every meal, every night stay, every taxi, every flight, even the training. So don’t come up here on my little corner of the internet and tell me that I have my priorities mixed up and I don’t give an eff about anything other than myself. You who hides behind the computer screen criticizing my efforts under the name Anonymous. If you are involved in your own things, I commend you. If you aren’t, I commend you – I am not one to judge. To each their own. One word of advice… next time you decide to trash my wall, at least have the courage to voice your opinions with your name and face behind them. You might even consider transforming all that pent up negative energy you save to dish out on my blog into some positive love vibes to spread around. God knows with people like you in the world we need it.

As for calling my blog a trainwreck… well that’s just in bad taste… I sincerely hope you continue to follow my blog and be ridiculously entertained by it forever more… oh, and for future reference, I really don’t have time to constantly justify my shit… so if you or anyone else tries this again your comment will just get a big fat delete in the face. Enjoy!

So I won’t lie… Today I am friggen exhausted and burnt out. Not such good news considering it is only tuesday and I will be keeping this crazy schedule until friday, plus the monday after that. On average, my days are about 17 hours long (sometimes longer). Wake up is 5am (which is VERY, VERY, VERY tough for me to do… I am possibly the worst morning person EVER in the history of mornings themselves…). I am one of them peoples who really needs her rest and feel a bit like my physical body is falling apart due to lack of sleep. Frustrations come easily, it is damp and cold here, the food dosn’t always settle very well and gives me stomach aches, and that time of the month is just about to start… Sounds like fun no? Wish you were here!!! All to say i am in the major need of a lil TLC! When I get home, spa here I come!!!

I took some time to escape from my work to walk around the school… Boy are these kids cute!!! First off they all come and sit with me and ask me to tell them what different things are in English. Apple, bear… Then a little boy gives me a beautiful kiss on the cheek 🙂 I had a rather half-assed conversation with a teenage boy (my bad… No hablo espagnol senor…)… Who from what I could understand liked my green eyes and wanted to know both my name and my e-mail to chat online… Suave little sucker!!!!

The pics enclosed are all of the school and the setup we have going for distributing the prescription glasses. I will try my best to schooch over to the nearest internet cafe tonight to upload some decent pics for you guys… And all my great fashion finds (yes, yes, yes… I know it’s about friggin’ time!!! Enough with helping the world biznatch – we wanna see them threads!!!)

I am laying here in my hotel room in Lima (a hotel with a very large mirror in the room that is know by the locals to be a watering hole for prostitutes), reading my Anne Rice Interview with the Vampire and contemplating all sorts of mythological wonders. For some reason, when i think of exotic places of the world goddesses always pop into my mind. Every culture, every community has their own take on beauty, love, and varying personality strengths… Placed beautifully into the shell of a stunning woman. And when you think of it really, we are all goddesses of sort!

Women can create life! That is quite a God-like quality! We are creatures of seduction, mystery, and nurturing. In other words… Completely mesmerising.

Strippers and prostitutes… In my opinion they are symbolic of goddesses of love and seduction for the lonely hearts of the world.

We have the inner strength to raise families and speak up to forces our physical beings cannot compete with. We have the power to break a man. To truly tame the most wild and savage at heart and make him sensitive, caring and soft. Our bodies are visual feasts. Soft curves, petite details and decadent skin that begs to be dressed in smooth "second skin" materials… Silk, lace, cotton… Everything meant to go with what we are is a lesson in seduction.

Passion and the eternal consistency of womankind to win over hearts and be the warriors we are make us a rare breed. As rare as goddesses 🙂

So today it was off to the races! Our first day working in a local school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Lima. The school itself is very nice, and the kids very welcoming. Wherever I go they try to speak to me in spanish and befriend me… Too bad I don't understand a drop of their language!

I am already pretty tired as the flight really beat me up! Yesterday was survived thanks to an obscene amount of coffee, and the comfort of my Uggs (this is what happens when u only get three hours sleep). I have been learning a lot about eye health, care, maintenance and equipment. Although I feel a tad lost in translation from the language as well as the optometrist profession, it is getting easier. A tad overwhelming at first, but I am rolling now and understanding more and more by the minute.

Outside of the school where we will be working for the week is said to be a very dangerous neighborhood. Especially because our whole group consists of white Canadians, we are considered much more of a target to the common rapes, kidnappings and theft. Sooo… We bus in and out of the school compound and stay within the walls to ensure our safety.

Can't wait to get to an internet cafe tonight and blog away about my Peruvian fashion finds! Stay tuned amigos!

Alright, so here is a little recap on my travels… FINALLY made it to Lima after enduring a second six hour flight (and having a six hour stop off in Mexico… Uggghhh… I love duty free shopping as much as the next chick but whooooa!). When our group (it's called Vosh Canada if you wanna look it up) arrived at customs we lost two members. Why? Cause they had Lebanese passports. Supposedly they needed working Visas… Funny how the rest of us didn't. In short, after bearing eighteen hours of travel, waiting and all sorts of customs and immigration crap they were deported back to Montreal. Total effing BULL. I guess that's how people take to you trying to help out. Fuck I hate politics!

We all hopped on a bus and headed through the city… Keep in mind we got here at 1am… Let me tell you people… I am by no means a girl that is afraid or intimidated, but when we were passing through the city I was pretty freaked the fuck out! I have been to South Africa and seen the huts, and pure poverty… But this was new. Every single house, building, buisiness is gated up and fenced off. The whole town looks like a fortress. Theft must really be an issue here.

Anyways, have to follow a yuck itinerary and be ready for a breakfast briefing in ten… So adios senors y senoritas! Muchos gracias!